The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has condemned the cordoning off of a large portion of Moloney Road, in Obalende area of Lagos Island by the Nigeria Police.
The Police cordoned off the road in the wake of the destruction which trailed the endsars protests in Lagos and had since then, prevented motorists from using the road, while pedestrians who have no other alternatives are forced to slowly move round the barricades and chains erected there.
The former Lagos State Governor, pointed out that the move is further worsening the traffic situation in the area and impacting negatively on productivity and would in the long run affect the health of regular commuters in the area.
“This is simply a law and order issue, the presences of laws and the absence of implementation, those who should be enforcing the law are actually breaking it”.
“We are converting what we building for traffic to other purposes, it is against traffic law and all sense of law and order”.
While also decrying the taking over of one of the two-lane road by the Nigerian Postal Service on the other side of Obalende by commercial bus drivers, Mr Fashola said the arbitrary takeover of pedestrian walkways by traders in the axis and street trading generally is inimical to growth and development and it is high time Nigerians stop associating such illegal behaviours with poverty reduction measures.
“There is nothing wrong in being a trader, there nothing wrong to also be a mechanic, but you cannot carry out legitimate business in an illegitimate way”.
“So we must stop entertaining and acknowledging those kind of argument, because I am poor lete break the law and then everybody then pay, everyone must fight again that behavior, it will demise our quality of life”.
It will be recalled that during his tenure as Governor, Mr Fashola ensured sanity with the strict enforcement of the Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law, 2003, which prescribes a punishment of ninety thousand naira or a six-month jail term, for both the buyer and the seller of any goods or services on the streets.
Omolara Omosanya
